According to the Kwara state bureau of lands, the Saraki family did not fulfill the payment requirement for a piece of land they occupied in Ilorin, the state capital.
Previously, the state government took over the land in December, citing its original designation for the construction of a secretariat and the civil service clinic’s parking lot. In response, Bukola Saraki, the former senate president, claimed that the land was duly allocated and a right of occupancy was issued for it.
However, Ibrahim Salman, director-general of the bureau of lands, refuted Saraki’s claim in a statement released on Wednesday.
He explained, “The entire land was acquired in the 1970s for Overriding Public Interest and was initially designated for the State Secretariat Phase II. Construction work had started but was abandoned at superstructure level.”
He continued, “In the 1980s, the land was redesigned for the construction of a Civil Service Clinic, State Secretariat, and a parking lot. The Clinic was built in 1982, while the remaining plots were intended for the Clinic’s expansion into a hospital. However, a portion of the land designated for the parking lot was irregularly allocated to Asa Investment for commercial purposes without formal application, evidence of payment, or issuance of a right of occupancy. As a result, ‘Ile Arugbo’ was constructed on this part of the land, originally intended for the Clinic’s expansion and parking lot.”
Salman also mentioned that the Kwara state house of assembly passed a resolution mandating the government to revoke the allocation, which led the governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to sign an instrument for reclaiming the land due to the unlawful allocation.
He emphasized that the statement was issued to present the factual details about the land, as recorded by the bureau.